Celebrating woman power

To mark International Women's Day, organisers of The Times of India Film Awards (TOIFA) put together an evening of thought-provoking discussion and entertainment in Vancouver

To mark International Women's Day, organisers of The Times of India Film Awards (TOIFA) put together an evening of thought-provoking discussion and entertainment in Vancouver, bringing together popular names from the entertainment and business world from India and British Columbia, Canada. The event, moderated by Belle Puri, was dedicated to celebrating the spirit and power of women. Present were former Miss Asia Pacific and actress Dia Mirza, entrepreneur and actress Perizaad Zorabian, former Miss World and actress Diana Hayden along with some of British Columbia's top leaders like Minister of Children and Family Development, Honourable Stephanie Cadieux, entrepreneur Shushma Dutt and Clinical Associate Professor, University of British Columbia, Dr Shimi Kang. TOIFA will take place in Vancouver from April 4 to 6.

To mark International Women's Day, organisers of The Times of India Film Awards (TOIFA) put together an evening of thought-provoking discussion and entertainment in Vancouver, bringing together popular names from the entertainment and business world from India and British Columbia, Canada. The event, moderated by Belle Puri, was dedicated to celebrating the spirit and power of women. Present were former Miss Asia Pacific and actress Dia Mirza, entrepreneur and actress Perizaad Zorabian, former Miss World and actress Diana Hayden along with some of British Columbia's top leaders like Minister of Children and Family Development, Honourable Stephanie Cadieux, entrepreneur Shushma Dutt and Clinical Associate Professor, University of British Columbia, Dr Shimi Kang. TOIFA will take place in Vancouver from April 4 to 6.

Zoya Akhtar: Making a debut with a critically acclaimed 'Luck By Chance', Zoya Akhtar's contemporary style of direction hit the bull's eye with 'Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara' for which she won the Filmfare Award for Best Director.

They define women power in Bollywood. Given their splendid knack behind the camera, these female directors have earned a respect long-awaited in the industry. Here's a looks at the top female directors in the Hindi filmdom:

Zoya Akhtar: Making a debut with a critically acclaimed 'Luck By Chance', Zoya Akhtar's contemporary style of direction hit the bull's eye with 'Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara' for which she won the Filmfare Award for Best Director. (BCCL)

They define women power in Bollywood. Given their splendid knack behind the camera, these female directors have earned a respect long-awaited in the industry. Here's a looks at the top female directors in the Hindi filmdom:

Zoya Akhtar: Making a debut with a critically acclaimed 'Luck By Chance', Zoya Akhtar's contemporary style of direction hit the bull's eye with 'Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara' for which she won the Filmfare Award for Best Director. (BCCL)

Gauri Shinde: Once an ad-mader, Gauri Shinde turned a Hindi film director with 'English Winglish'. Crafting an intelligent movie and bringing to the fore the long forgotten talent of yesteryear Bollywood queen Sridevi, Gauri won several accolades for her debut film.

Gauri Shinde: Once an ad-maker, Gauri Shinde turned a Hindi film director with 'English Winglish'. Crafting an intelligent movie and bringing to the fore the long forgotten talent of yesteryear Bollywood queen Sridevi, Gauri won several accolades for her debut film. (BCCL)

Gauri Shinde: Once an ad-maker, Gauri Shinde turned a Hindi film director with 'English Winglish'. Crafting an intelligent movie and bringing to the fore the long forgotten talent of yesteryear Bollywood queen Sridevi, Gauri won several accolades for her debut film. (BCCL)

Anusha Rizvi: A journalist-turned-Bollywood director, Anusha Rizvi's filmmaking talent was noticed in the wonderful film 'Peepli Live'. Anusha again seem to represent a contemporary tribe of filmmakers in the industry.

Anusha Rizvi: A journalist-turned-Bollywood director, Anusha Rizvi's filmmaking talent was noticed in the wonderful film 'Peepli Live'. Anusha again seems to represent a contemporary tribe of filmmakers in the industry. (BCCL)

Anusha Rizvi: A journalist-turned-Bollywood director, Anusha Rizvi's filmmaking talent was noticed in the wonderful film 'Peepli Live'. Anusha again seems to represent a contemporary tribe of filmmakers in the industry. (BCCL)

Sanjay Leela Bhansali's sister moved on from editing to stepping into a director's shoes with her long conceived project 'Shirin Farhad Ki Toh Nikal Padi'. The film which explored 'love after 40' had a quite decent opening at the Box Office.

Sanjay Leela Bhansali's sister moved on from editing to step into a director's shoes with her long conceived project 'Shirin Farhad Ki Toh Nikal Padi'. The film which explored 'love after 40' had a quite decent opening at the Box Office. (BCCL)

Sanjay Leela Bhansali's sister moved on from editing to step into a director's shoes with her long conceived project 'Shirin Farhad Ki Toh Nikal Padi'. The film which explored 'love after 40' had a quite decent opening at the Box Office. (BCCL)

Deepa Mehta: The prolific Deepa Mehta has been responsible for some of the most thought provoking and sensitive movies ever made. She is known for her Elements Trilogy, Fire (1996), Earth (1998), and Water (2005); among which 'Earth' was submitted by the Indian government for Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, and 'Water' was submitted by Canada for Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.

Deepa Mehta: The prolific Deepa Mehta has been responsible for some of the most thought provoking and sensitive movies ever made. She is known for her Elements Trilogy, Fire (1996), Earth (1998), and Water (2005); among which 'Earth' was submitted by the Indian government for Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, and 'Water' was submitted by Canada for Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. (BCCL)

Deepa Mehta: The prolific Deepa Mehta has been responsible for some of the most thought provoking and sensitive movies ever made. She is known for her Elements Trilogy, Fire (1996), Earth (1998), and Water (2005); among which 'Earth' was submitted by the Indian government for Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, and 'Water' was submitted by Canada for Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. (BCCL)

Kalpana Lajmi: Another veteran female director which the Bollywood can boost of is Kalpana Lajmi. Known most for her women centric film's, Kalpana's work is marked with her film being realistic, low-budget and in the genre of parallel cinema.

Kalpana Lajmi: Another veteran female director which the Bollywood can boast of is Kalpana Lajmi. Known mostly for her women centric film's, Kalpana's work is marked with her film being realistic, low-budget and in the genre of parallel cinema. (BCCL)

Kalpana Lajmi: Another veteran female director which the Bollywood can boast of is Kalpana Lajmi. Known mostly for her women centric film's, Kalpana's work is marked with her film being realistic, low-budget and in the genre of parallel cinema. (BCCL)